Horse of a Different Color

Posted on November 10, 2014

Been backed up with travel and guests, work and play, so pardon news from months past. Some events are too grand to go without mention, like the September 20th Austin Pride Parade, cheerily themed as The Wonderful Land of Oz-tin, capitalizing on the 75th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz.

Months ago I’d queried the Austin Public Library Bibliofiles, our bookcart drill team, about walking in the parade. They plan elaborate shenanigans for such affairs, and had all major characters covered along with a choreographed routine. As the parade approached and life felt heavy, I considered skipping out but the reminder email had so few participants. We’re the damned public library! We can’t have a shabby showing. Plus, parade. Plus, night parade.

But I didn’t want to just wave, carry a sign, trailing behind. I briefly entertained being a flying monkey but remembered hm, I have that horse head mask… of course!

The Horse of a Different Color!

Given the ridiculous costume I discovered at Good Will and managed to worm my parts into, my different color was purple:

I made a tail from dollar store extensions and splurged on haunted Horse Hooves at Spirit Halloween, spraying the head and hooves with temporary hair color.

The result? Magnifique.

I pranced, galloped, sweat in troughs, high-hooved children and nuzzled howling teens, delighting looky-loos and certified queens and posed for dozens of selfies.

In a parade of 9000 participants, I was the only HDC that I know of. Some dumb youth jeered I wasn’t in The Wizard of Oz, but those in the know pretty much died.

And so did I, of heat, scooping crushed ice into my hooves to cool down. It was well worth it, including the next morning aches akin to headbang revelries.